Gang members targeted in swoops

Feb 8 2012

Dozens of suspected gang members are to be targeted by police in a series of co-ordinated operations across London as Scotland Yard begins a renewed crackdown on gang crime.

Hundreds of Metropolitan Police officers will take to the streets of the capital to track down and arrest suspected gang members believed to be involved in crimes including assault, robbery and drugs supply.

The major operation, spearheaded by the Met's newly-formed Trident Gang Crime Command, marks what senior officers have described as a "step change" in the way the force tackles gangs.

Scotland Yard revealed it has now committed 1,000 dedicated officers to fighting the problem, with the creation of the central Trident gang command and 19 new task forces to deal with local gang crime in problem boroughs across London.

Operation Trident was originally set up in 2000 to tackle gun crime in black communities across the capital and has gradually grown over the past decade.

Under the unit's expanded new remit it will retain the responsibility of investigating shootings, but also work alongside the borough task forces to proactively tackle gang crime, the Met said.

It will also have access to specialist resources including Operation Connect - the MPS unit set up to tackle violence driven by gang culture - and the Serious and Organised Crime Command.

MPS Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said: "This is a step change in how we tackle gang crime in London. It will allow us to identify and relentlessly pursue the most harmful gangs and gang members. It will help us identify young people on the periphery of gangs and work with partners to divert them away. Although we are now nearly doubling the number of officers dedicated to tackling gang crime, the police can not do this alone. It is vital we work with the public, local authorities, charities and other agencies to prevent young people from joining gangs in the first place."

There are an estimated 250 active criminal gangs in London, comprising of about 4,800 people, mostly aged between 18 and 24, according to police statistics. Of these gangs, 62 are considered as "high harm" and commit two thirds of all gang-related crime, the Met said.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said tackling gangs was the top crime priority for London. "We've been attacking gangs from all angles. Now the Met has a concerted and determined push to take out the ring-leaders and tempt impressionable youngsters away from this destructive life," he added.